By now, every college basketball fan knows about the “The Shot.” With 2.1 seconds left in overtime, Duke, the defending national champions, trailed Kentucky 103-102 in the 1992 Elite Eight. Grant Hill had the ball on the baseline to inbound for Duke and heaved it to inside the opposite three-point arc. “There’s the pass to Laettner. Puts it up. Yes!” Read More »

Third baseman Kris Bryant was reassigned by the Chicago Cubs to their minor-league camp on Monday despite an outstanding spring training at the plate, triggering a threat of litigation from the players’ association.

Bryant hit .425 in the exhibition season with nine homers and 15 RBIs in 40 at-bats. If the 23-year-old spends 12 or more days in the minor leagues, Chicago would delay him from becoming eligible for free agency by one year, until after the 2021 season, according to baseball’s collective bargaining agreement. Read More »

“They’ll be great when he’s back” is the most optimistic statement in sports, positing that a team is just an injured player away from snapping into championship form. Oklahoma City Thunder fans have long insisted this was the case—that their team, precariously hanging onto a playoff spot, would become a contender once Kevin Durant finally overcame his foot troubles. Now that he’s been ruled out for the season, they’re being reminded why sports optimism is folly.

Durant requires “bone-graft surgery” on his right foot, which is not the name of a metal band but a procedure that aims to ameliorate the effects of a half-cocked recovery that initially sidelined him at the beginning of the season. Back then, Durant suffered a “Jones fracture”—a tricky little injury that’s slow to heal, and once stopped Yao Ming’s career. He returned quickly—too quickly, some said—and even though he was in reigning MVP form, he still missed frequent time. Now that he’s out, it seems clear that the Thunder are doomed to get washed out in the playoffs, should they even make it. The Golden State Warriors team they would likely face is too good, and the Thunder’s defense is too shredded with the additional absence of injured big man Serge Ibaka. Read More »

The basketball equivalent of this riddle is the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight round on Saturday. Wisconsin and Notre Dame haven’t been on the same court with defenses as debilitating as Arizona’s and Kentucky’s. Arizona and Kentucky haven’t been on the same court with offenses as overpowering as Wisconsin and Notre Dame’s. This is unstoppable force versus immovable object with the winners headed to the Final Four. Read More »

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant will miss the remainder of the season because of persistent issues with his right foot, the team announced Friday.

Durant, the league’s reigning most valuable player, played in only 27 games this season after previously being one of the most durable players in the NBA. He had missed only two games over the previous three regular seasons and a total of 16 in his career. Read More »

When should a team’s best player not play for his team? The Chicago Cubs are struggling to answer that question as they attempt to justify why Kris Bryant, the would-be rookie phenom who has cleaved a bloody trail through spring training, may start the impending major-league season at Triple-A Iowa.

Bryant, the second pick in the 2013 draft, has hit nine home runs in 32 plate appearances during spring training, racking up numbers that would make Barry Bonds do a double-take. With the Cubs looking like a surprise pick to make the playoffs, thanks to their off-season pickup of players such as Jon Lester and Miguel Montero and hiring of manager Joe Maddon, it stands to reason that they would want to play their hotly hyped prospect. But there is a quirk in the rules that says if the Cubs keep Bryant in the minors for a few more weeks, they would be able to tack another year of service onto his current contract, which might make all the difference if he turns into Bonds 2.0 down the line and demands Bonds 2.0 money. Read More »

The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament started in 1975 as a small event, with just 3,000 spectators in attendance. Today, it has grown to become a flagship event in the city’s social calendar, drawing a crowd of 120,000, including fans from all over the world. Read More »

If it were up to Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will one day be a boxing commentator for Showtime. That is, if Espinoza can afford him.

Espinoza, who played a key role in brokering the six-fight deal between Showtime and Mayweather and also the May 2 blockbuster fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on May 2 said that Mayweather — who has expressed an interest in growing his boxing promotion company — would be a great commentator.

SPORTS, THE JOURNAL WAY

The Daily Fix blog provides takes on the latest sports news. Features include The Count, a look at the most revealing sports stats, as well as regular live reports of major sports events. Go to the Journal’s sports page for up-to-date coverage on the latest in sports.

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About The Daily Fix

Jeremy Gordon is a freelance writer who lives in Chicago. He has written for TheAtlantic.com, MTV and Prefix and occasionally Tumbles and Tweets. The last time he cried was when Steve Bartman dropped the ball.

Jared Diamond writes about sports for The Wall Street Journal. He currently serves as a beat reporter covering the New York Mets and Major League Baseball.

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When Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao step into the ring on May 2, they will fight at the welterweight-class limit of 147 pounds—an odd, seemingly random number that has long held a special mystique.